


Stardrop

by Telana



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-16 13:33:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12343683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telana/pseuds/Telana
Summary: Katie Silva is not a farmer. But when a letter reveals her Grandpa Tony left her Stardrop Farm near Pelican Town, Katie decides to leave her stressful job in search of a peaceful farm life. What awaits her, however, is anything but peaceful. Farming, as it turns out, is a ton of hard work, there are monsters that show up on the farm after dark, magic creatures called Junimos living in the busted community center, a wizard looking for an apprentice, and that's not even counting all the favors the townsfolk ask of her in what little spare time she gets to herself. The only peace she ever seems to get is with Sebastian, the quiet programmer who helped her get in contact with the mayor and his mom to start moving in. Before long, they become close friends and maybe something more. But what can that mean for a person determined to move away from the valley and another bent on staying?





	1. Chapter 1

 

Katie Silva was not a farmer. Her Grandpa Tony had been, though, and Katie could still remember his big, rough hands, callused from constant plowing and watering and harvesting. She remembered his easy smile, the way nothing seemed to faze him, even when old Tormenta had busted through the gate of the stable in the middle of a thunderstorm. He’d just calmly followed her into the old cave just past the stable and waited the storm out with her. No crazed shouts, berating the horse for her panic, or mad dashes through the rain to catch up with her. Katie had spent a good portion of her life trying to seem as at ease with the world as him.

It worked well enough throughout high school and college. Crises back then were less career-threatening and tended to lean more towards relationship drama and heavy amounts of homework. That was something a level head could handle. When Katie took her first big job at a Joja marketing firm, though, there seemed no end to the nonsense she had to sort through before even finding the root of the problem.

In the most recent argument, Dave, from accounting, had been told by one of his bosses to come up with an estimate for a new ad they wanted to run in the coming months, a new summer spot featuring Joja Zero. Dave had been hounding the creative department, which is where Katie worked, to reach out to a handful of models and camera crews to get an estimate on their services. He hadn’t approached Katie like he’d agreed to after the last fiasco, and instead decided to bother Ameena, who’d just started at the firm maybe a month earlier.

Dave had insisted that it was the creative department’s job since the models and camera crews were their contacts, not his, and immediately started getting on Ameena’s case about when she was going to get in touch with them. Never mind the fact that Ameena had no idea who he was talking about or that she ought to send Dave away and inform a supervisor. Katie figured she’d been so terrified of losing her job that it had just never occurred to her to tell Dave to kick rocks.

It had taken a long sit-down with Dave to get him to understand that, aside from passing along invoices to accounting, the creative department was _not_ responsible for doing his job for him. If he wanted their help, he would have to ask, not demand, and mind his manners.

Katie had also made it a point to scold him for harassing Ameena, especially since Dave tried to play dumb about targeting the most inexperienced member of the team. He insisted that he hadn’t thought about it, which, after Katie’d had time to cool down, she realized might have been the truth since Dave wasn’t particularly bright or manipulative. Clever with numbers and accounting, of course, but lacking in other areas.

Still, she figured Ameena would never see it that way and made sure he apologized, and not that half-assed crap with a mumbled, “Sorry,” and shuffling off. Katie’d stood there and watched as Dave apologized for harassing Ameena and making her feel unsafe and unwanted there at the firm and that he wouldn’t do it again. After that debacle, Katie’d flopped down in her own wobbly office chair, fatigue and the immediate need to be somewhere, anywhere else, settling in.

The feeling _had_ passed, but it would be back. It would always be back as long as she had to keep stepping in to keep the peace and that had been a major part of her job since day one. Katie turned the letter over, staring at the old-fashioned wax seal. Grandpa Tony had told her to wait until she was absolutely sure before opening it, that it would completely change her life.

It wasn’t until she walked through the threshold of her tiny studio apartment, the smell of old takeout boxes lingering in the trash and a single window letting in the last remnants of sunlight, that she decided to open the letter. Katie flopped down on her bed, a single mattress held up by particle board and milk crates she’d painted a light mint blue color in one of her DIY moods, and broke the wax seal on the letter. It unfolded to reveal an old, yellowed document and a single page letter that read:

 

_My dearest granddaughter Katie,_

_If you’re reading this, you must be in dire need of a change._

_The same thing happened to me long, long ago. I’d lost sight of what mattered most in life… real connections with other people and nature. So, I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong._

_I’ve enclosed the deed to that place… my pride and joy, Stardrop Farm. It’s located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It’s the perfect place to start your new life._

_This farm saved my life all those years ago, Katie, and I know it can do the same for you. It will take work and time, but I believe in you._

_I’m proud of you, mija,_

_Grandpa Tony_

 

Katie set the letter down on her pillow and buried her face in the old denim quilt bunched up on the side of the bed. Her eyes stung and her chest felt both empty and heavy all at once. How long had it been since she’d seen Grandpa Tony’s handwriting? How long since he’d last called her _mija?_ It felt like ages since she’d spent a weekend or summer on that old farm of his.

And he’d left all of that to her? Katie scooted up closer to her pillow to take a look at the yellowed page and gasped. It really was the deed. She didn’t need a lawyer to tell her that. Even if Grandpa Tony was the sort to play pranks like giving her a fake deed, there was no way to fake the blackberry stains on the bottom of the page. When Katie was about ten years old, Grandpa Tony had shown her the deed and she’d accidentally stained the page with blackberry juice. They’d gone out to pick some earlier in the day and Katie had been snacking on them all day in that messy way only a child could. At the time, she was sure Grandpa Tony would be angry, but he just laughed and joked that the stain was her signature.

“Means it’s extra official, now,” he’d told her.

Katie laughed to herself, tracing the tiny stains with her fingers. She wondered if her parents knew he’d left the farm to her, if they even cared what happened to the place after sorting through his things for bills they might have to pay and family heirlooms. Katie pulled out her cell phone and thumbed through her contacts until she found her mom’s photo and hit ‘call.’

“Hey sweetie,” her mom answered after a couple rings, a bit of concern in her voice. In the background, Katie could hear her chopping something, probably some fresh veggie for dinner. “You normally don’t call like this. Everything okay?”

“Uh, mostly, yeah,” Katie answered hesitantly. “Did… did you and dad know Grandpa Tony left me the farm?”

Dead silence.

“You opened Grandpa’s letter.” It wasn’t a question. Suddenly, Katie wasn’t so sure she should have called. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? Katie, you have a _good_ career. You know that, right? A lot of people would love to have your job.”

“Yeah, I know, but-”

“I just wish you’d talked to us. It’s not like you can just get your job back if you quit. Doesn’t matter how _good_ you are. They’ll move on to the next talented designer.”

“I _know,”_ she said, gritting her teeth to keep from unloading _everything_ all at once. “It’s just… You remember what Grandpa Tony said when he gave me the letter. I wouldn’t have if things weren’t getting rough.”

“Honey, everyone has rough days. You’ll get through it.” Katie could hear her mom start chopping again. “Just… please think it over before you make any big decisions, okay?”

“Okay, yeah,” Katie agreed hesitantly, hanging her head in resignation. “I’ll… I’ll think about it some more before I decide anything. I just called because I didn’t know if you knew he left it to me.”

“Oh, well of course we _knew,”_ her mom answered matter-of-factly. “Grandpa had talked to us for weeks about what we’d do with the property if he left it to us. Your father, in all his wisdom, said we’d sell it and use the money to send you to college.”

“So, what’d Grandpa say?”

“You know Grandpa Tony. Didn’t want the land going to Joja somehow, so he said he’d find some other use for it,” her mom answered, setting down the knife with a loud clack. “He told us later that he’d given it to you. Not that he was _going to._ That he already had.”

“Sounds like Grandpa Tony,” Katie agreed, stifling a giggle.

“It was… very like my dad,” she agreed, her voice softening. “Katie, I know you loved that farm. I just want you to make sure this is something you want. If it’s getting too rough, we can always call Debra. I saw on Friendbook that her office is taking new patients and you know how hard it is to get an appointment there.”

Katie wrinkled her nose. “I really don’t want to see Dad’s old therapist.”

“Why not? She’s very accomplished and look at how much she helped with your dad’s problems. I never thought I’d see him this happy again, especially after that last deployment.”

“Something about her just feels…. fake,” Katie answered lamely. “Like, I get that worked for Dad, but she just doesn’t seem like the kind of person I want to pay to talk to for an hour. I barely liked talking to her when we’d go pick Dad up.”

“Well, it’s your decision. I just think she’d be a lot of help, that’s all.”

“I’ll… think about it,” Katie conceded. “Anyway, I should get going. Gotta get dinner together and… think things over.”

“Okay, sweetie. I love you and please call me before you make any big decisions.”

“Will do. Thanks mom.”

Katie hung up and dropped her phone unceremoniously onto the pillow in front of her. Every time she thought maybe her mom would be reasonable or at least give her some decent advice, she’d go on and on like that. It’s not like Katie didn’t know she had it good. She got to work in a creative way, had a decent apartment, and could pay her bills on time. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but who ever has their life together at 24?

She spent nearly an hour just face first in her bed before finding the willpower to throw something in the microwave for dinner and boot up her home computer. Talking to her mom had drained her of almost all the excitement that came with Grandpa Tony’s letter and the deed to the farm, but it hadn’t stolen her curiosity about farm life. It couldn’t hurt to do a quick search and see how farming actually worked.

A few videos in, Katie was starting to feel pretty confident she’d be able to manage farm life just fine, especially if she started out small. Growing vegetables, as it turned out, wasn’t nearly as hard as it sounded. There were some plants that were picky about their care, of course, but most just needed good soil, water, and a watchful eye. That was simple enough.

But what was Stardew Valley like? From what she remembered, it was a pretty nice area. But times change and there was no telling how the years had affected the area. For all Katie knew, the people who used to live there got fed up with living in the middle of nowhere and moved away.

A quick search online didn’t tell her much beyond last year’s census for the statistics. Pelican Town, the only thing resembling a city in the area, had a web site looked like it hadn’t been touched for years. There were even photos of Grandpa Tony’s farm from back when he was still alive. There was, however, a phone number at the bottom of the page as well as an email address. Katie glanced down at the clock in the corner of her screen and winced. It was way too late to call, but she _could_ send out an email before bed. Maybe someone would get back to her.

 

_Hi, my name is Katie Silva, Tony Silva’s granddaughter. I have no idea if this email address is even active anymore, but I just found out my grandpa left me Stardrop Farm and was wondering if there was some way to be able to tell what kind of  condition it’s in. I’ve been thinking about moving out there, getting away from Zuzu and all that. If you can, please get back to me soon. I’d love to hear from you!_

 

Katie hit send with a yawn and closed her laptop. She definitely wasn’t holding her breath for a reply, but it would have to do until morning.

 

All morning, Katie found herself checking her personal email on her phone. She knew better than to hope for an immediate response, but, despite her mom’s warning, was already getting excited for the possibility of moving. Time seemed impossibly slow all the way up until lunch when the email notification noise pulled her attention away from the convenience store sandwich she’d grabbed on her way in. She didn’t recognize the sender’s name but that could be for all sorts of reasons.

 

_Hello Ms. Silva,_

_I’m the developer and moderator of the city’s website, Sebastian Coleman. I was able to get in touch with a few of Pelican Town’s residents and they asked me to relay to you that your grandfather’s cabin is still in reasonably good condition. It’s been a long time since anyone lived there, though, so there are some minor repairs needed before it can be lived in. Also, the land itself has become very overgrown in the past few years, so it may not lend itself well to farming right away. The town’s carpenter has already agreed to patch up the house and get it tidied up for whenever you want to move in and Mayor Lewis, who seems to have been an old friend of your grandfather’s, has agreed to cover the expenses. Said something about it having been too long since Stardew Valley had a farmer and how glad the town would be to have someone new. Anyway, if you can, email me back or call to let us know when you’ll be moving in._

_Sebastian Coleman_

_x (xxx)-xxx-xxxx_

_scman@d20dev.net_

 

Katie’s mouth hung wide open as she reread the email over and over. They were going to be ready for her whenever she showed up? But she hadn’t even decided on going, let alone a date. And the mayor himself was going to foot the bill for repairs? It sounded too good to be true. She’d been considering how much she’d need to save up to get the place fixed up. With her current expenses, it would’ve been several months at best, which would’ve given her “time” to think it over like her mom had asked. She’d had it all planned out.

Now she wasn’t so sure she shouldn’t just go hand in her two week’s notice and get ready to move right now. Of course, that wasn’t sensible and Katie could practically hear her mom’s voice in the back of her head warning her there could be all sorts of consequences. But dammit she wanted to so bad. Her cubicle was starting to feel more and more like a cage and Katie wanted _out._ She wanted to _do_ things, _go_ places, be _somewhere._

Of course, calling her mom again was absolutely out of the question. Katie could still remember the panic in her mom’s voice at the thought of her following in her grandfather’s footsteps. Maybe Ameena would have some good advice. She was obviously new to the company and more than a little bit timid, but Katie knew she had a good head on her shoulders and would at least be more objective about the situation than her mom.

After she finished her sandwich, Katie pulled up the Joja Messenger app on her computer screen and sent a message to Ameena.

 

SilvaKat: hey u got a sec?

MeeMee: yea whats up

SilvaKat: so um

SilvaKat: this is going to sound ridiculous but if you found out a family member left you a farm out in the middle of nowhere would you move out there to…. y’know…. farm?

MeeMee: katie

SilvaKat: wat

MeeMee: katie pls

MeeMee: who the heck left you a farm anyway

SilvaKat: my grandpa

SilvaKat: like he lived there basically his whole life

MeeMee: and he didn’t leave it to your mom?

MeeMee: like I thought that’s how those things worked

MeeMee: weird that he would leave it to you and not her y’know?

SilvaKat: yea she said something about that when i called her last night

SilvaKat: apparently my dad wanted to sell it to pay for college for me or smth

SilvaKat: and grandpa was like um

SilvaKat: no

MeeMee: so he just like… left you the entire thing

SilvaKat: yea basically

SilvaKat: I literally just found out about it yesterday

MeeMee: jeez…. I mean, do you _want_ to like… go be a farmer??

SilvaKat: kinda?

MeeMee: kinda?

SilvaKat: okay so like

SilvaKat: I am super burned out here

SilvaKat: like you know I love you but this company friggin sucks sometimes

SilvaKat: everything just feels so cramped and everyone’s all up in each other’s space

SilvaKat: and sometimes it just feels hard to breathe without ending up in someone else’s bubble

MeeMee: god I feel u tho

MeeMee: I mean you know I’d miss the crap out of you if you left but like

MeeMee: if this is what would make you happy, I say go for it

SilvaKat: yeah?

MeeMee: heck yeah

MeeMee: like you gotta do you, y’know?

MeeMee: I’m just jelly u get to ditch dave lmao

SilvaKat: omg okay so like

SilvaKat: if he bugs you again

SilvaKat: idc if I’m not working here anymore you come get me and I’ll take care of that jerkwad

MeeMee: awwwww

MeeMee: my knight in shining overalls

SilvaKat: omfg shining overalls

SilvaKat: d’you think those actually exist?

 

Three weeks later, Katie was on a bus with a couple duffel bags of clothes and electronics headed for Stardew Valley. She’d handed in her resignation about a week after her first chat with Ameena about the farm and immediately sent Sebastian an email afterward with the date she anticipated being out there. After that, she had to find a group of movers who would be willing to drive her things all the way out to Stardew Valley for a reasonable price and get things packed up and separated. It was a lot of work and Katie had a feeling that wasn’t even the worst of it.

Still, it was all worth it watching Zuzu City fade in the distance on the bus the morning she handed in her apartment keys. She’d plugged in her headphones, tucked off in the back corner up until time came for her to transfer buses at Calico Desert. Luckily, she’d worn shorts and a tank top, so the heat wasn’t _too_ unbearable. Of course, Katie _had_ forgotten sunscreen. Or, well, thought she didn’t need it. Bus transfers weren’t supposed to leave you waiting out in the heat for hours, yet there she was, leaning up against the bus sign and burning to a bright red crisp.

When the bus finally arrived, Katie was surprised to find herself the only passenger. The driver, a middle-aged woman with curly platinum blonde hair, apologized for being late, saying something about not realizing today was the day she was supposed to come all the way out to the desert to get her. Katie shrugged and told her it was fine, but a small part of her was wondering how she could’ve forgotten. It wasn’t like the bus had any other route, right?

“So, this your first time in the valley?” the woman asked, trying to start a conversation. “Name’s Pam, by the way. Pam Wilson.”

“Katie Silva,” Katie replied with a small smile. “My, uh, grandpa actually used to have me out here a lot when I was a kid. He owned the farm I’m moving into.”

“Wow, no kidding, huh? You’re Ol’ Tony’s granddaughter?” Pam asked, glancing back at Katie in the giant mirror just above the windshield. “You used to be so tiny! Yoba, you’ve grown up nice. You remember my girl Penny at all? I know it was a long time ago, so I can’t really blame you if you don’t.”

Katie thought about it for a little bit. She hadn’t been particularly close with the other kids in Pelican Town when she visited, but she vaguely remembered a little girl named Penny who’d spend her time buried in books whenever all the kids got together to play. Katie’d tried to talk to her a few times, but she was always so wrapped up in her books that Katie thought better than to keep interrupting her.

“Kind of? She still read a lot?” Katie asked.

Pam grinned. “She sure does! She’s taken up teaching some of the local kids at the museum. They’re too little to send off to school just yet, but that hasn’t stopped Penny.”

The pride in Pam’s voice made Katie smile and she caught herself wondering if she and Penny might stand a chance at actually becoming friends now that they were both older. It was impossible to say just then, but Katie at least hoped the two of them would be able to get to know each other a little better. Before long, she started wondering about the other kids she’d seen the times she visited. There was a boy with blonde hair that stuck up all over the place that would ride his skateboard all over town while Katie chased after him begging for a chance to try it out. There was also a girl she’d pretend sword fight with whenever her parents weren’t looking or go crawling around in the bushes looking for strange bugs.

Just as Katie started to wonder whether those kids were still there as adults, Pam slammed on the brakes, cursing out loud as Katie slammed into the seat in front of her.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Katie. Some critter jumped out in front of the bus and almost got us into an accident,” she explained, huffing a bit from the shock. “We’re clear now, but Yoba that was close. You okay?”

Katie nodded, rubbing her sore forehead. “Yeah, the cushions don’t really do a whole lot of damage.”

Pam barked out a laugh, probably louder than she would’ve under other circumstances. “Thank Yoba for those, am I right?” She reached over to the stick shift, tugging it a little with a frown. “Oh, come on, not today. Of all the days to-” Pam pulled on the emergency brake and stood up. “So, bad news. The uh… the damn thing won’t shift out of park.”

Katie’s eyes widened. “That’s… not good. Like, really not good.”

“Yeah, we might have to hoof it the rest of the way. It’s not too much further, but you might have to leave a bag or two behind until we can get to town.” Pam grumbled under her breath. “You know, Penny’s been nagging me to get one of those prepaid cellphone things for weeks now. I told her, I said, ‘Why would I get a phone when we never even leave the valley? Who would I even call?’ Now I think maybe I should’ve listened.”

Katie reached into her pocket and pulled out her own phone. There was hardly any signal, but, with some luck, she’d be able to get a call off or something.

“Um, is there someone in particular I should call?” she asked, holding up her phone for Pam to see. “I don’t have any numbers saved, but if you know someone who can come get us…”

Pam patted herself down then shook her head. “My little address book must still be on the night stand at home. I don’t have any numbers memorized other than Gus’s, but he’s usually not up for another few hours. He runs the saloon in town, so he keeps pretty late hours, y’know?”

Katie nodded. She pulled up her phone’s internet browser and decided to see if she could load the town’s site to get the mayor’s number. After about ten minutes of refreshing the page, though, Katie decided to try another route. Maybe she could try Sebastian? He gave her his phone number at the bottom of his emails, so she could at least give it a shot, right? Katie opened up the dialer and punched in the number.

After a couple rings, she got an answer.

“Hello?” came a surprisingly deep, reluctant voice.

“Hey, this is Katie. Y’know, new farmer moving in today?”

“Oh.” A few seconds of silence. “Is… did you need something?”

“Uh, actually, yeah. The, um, bus broke down. Won’t shift out of park, so Pam and I were trying to get a hold of someone who could maybe give us a lift into town?”

“Hmmmmmm.” Katie heard a shuffle of papers and the sound of keys. “Mom’s not home right now and the mayor went to go do some last minute cleaning at the farm, so I guess I’ll come get you guys. It’ll have to be one at a time, though. There’s not a whole lot of room.”

“You could strap me to the roof of the car for all I care right now,” Katie joked. “As long as we don’t have to walk all the way to town, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Are you guys on the main stretch into the valley?”

Katie turned to Pam and repeated the question.

“Yeah, we’re ‘bout fifteen miles from the tunnel,” she called across the bus.

“Okay, give me about forty five minutes. It shouldn’t take longer than that to get out there, but,” Sebastian made a noncommittal noise, “you know. Shit happens.”

“Yeah, I gotcha. Appreciate you doing this, by the way,” she added, relief washing over her as she slumped back down into a nearby seat.

“Oh, uh, it’s, er,” Sebastian stumbled over his words, “no big deal. Besides, mom would kill me if I didn’t go get you. She’s been looking forward to it ever since I showed her your email.”

“Oh. Wow.” Katie’s cheeks turned pink and Pam gave her a knowing grin. “I-I mean, that’s, um. Wow.” Pam snickered in the background and Katie shot her a quick pleading look. “A-anyway, I’ll see you when you get here. Thanks again!”

“Yeah, uh, okay. Bye.”

Katie hung up and buried her face in her hands while Pam cackled in the background. She’d never even met the man and yet, at the slightest hint of teasing, she’d gone from cool and confident and professional to a bright red stammering mess. Great.

Thankfully, Pam kept her comments to herself while they waited, busying herself with a crossword puzzle she had squirreled away somewhere. Meanwhile, Katie decided to thumb through the photos she’d taken at her farewell party the night before. She’d been careful not to post them to Friendbook where her mother could see; despite her promise to talk to her mom before making any decisions, Katie just hadn’t got around to calling her since the night she read Grandpa Tony’s letter. Every time she thought about it, a sense of dread curled up in her stomach and she couldn’t get rid of the feeling.

The party had been fun, though. Ameena had insisted on getting together a few friends from the department and at least going out for dinner. It was a pretty good time, overall, though Katie couldn’t help overhearing a few excited whispers about who would be taking her position after she left. The fact that they were talking about it didn’t bother her much, but really drove home the finality of everything. She was really leaving. Someone else would get her job and she wouldn’t be there anymore. Of course she was thrilled for the change and the freedom that would come with it, but some small part of her wondered what things would be like when she wasn’t around. Ameena promised to keep her up to speed on office gossip while she was gone.

She’d gone through the photos at least twice before she heard the sound of a motorcycle engine coming down the road. It sounded a lot deeper than the bikes she heard out in the city, like one of those old Barley-Davidson motorcycles she’d catch some old biker dudes riding downtown. She frowned, remembering how Sebastian had mentioned not having a lot of space. There’s no way he’d be coming to pick them up on a motorcycle, right?


	2. Chapter 2

As it happened, that’s exactly what Sebastian did. Katie couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it all was. Here she was, moving into a strange new town to go learn how to farm, the bus broke down, and now she was going to get a ride into town on a motorcycle from a guy she’d never actually met in person before. How much weirder could the day actually get?

Thankfully, Pam had already decided to stay behind with the bus so Katie could meet up with the mayor on time. She had her crossword puzzle and nowhere else to be, she’d said, so it just made sense. Of course, Katie tried to insist, at least for politeness’ sake, but Pam wouldn’t hear it.

So, she heaved her duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbed her tote to head outside and meet Sebastian, her chest pounding at the thought of going through introductions and the general awkwardness of meeting someone for the first time. Sure, they’d talked over the phone that one time and exchanged emails, but it was totally different meeting someone in person. Suddenly Katie was aware of just how sweaty she was thanks to the wait in the desert earlier. She winced as she stepped outside and hoped to Yoba or whoever was listening that her deodorant had at least held up.

“Hey,” she called out with a small wave as Sebastian pulled over to the side of the road. Katie had been right about the bike; it was definitely an old Barley, bigger and sturdier than the zippy little things guys in the city rode around on. It almost made Sebastian seem a lot smaller in comparison. That is, until he got off the bike and pulled off his helmet. He had to be almost a full foot taller than Katie, which wasn’t exactly saying much since Katie clocked in at just under five feet tall. 

“Hey. You’re um… Katie, right?” he asked, wiping his hand on the back of his jeans before offering it to Katie with a bit of an awkward, uncomfortable smile.

“Yeah, that’s me,” she answered with a small smile of her own, taking his hand into what she hoped wasn’t too tight of a handshake. Ameena had teased her just one too many times about the death grip she’d get whenever she was nervous. “So, uh. You weren’t kidding about there not being a lot of space.”

Sebastian shrugged. “Sorry there’s no roof,” he said, letting go of Katie’s hand.

She blinked a few times until she remembered her earlier comment about being tied to the roof. Her cheeks suddenly felt even warmer and she hoped to Yoba Sebastian couldn’t tell with her sunburn. She’d hate to explain to him what she’d just imagined, especially since they were still technically strangers. That was definitely crossing way too many boundaries.

“Oh, that’s… I’ll be okay.”

Breathe, Katie. Breathe. Get your mind out of the gutter and breathe.

“Anyway, I should, uh, get you over to the farm.” Sebastian nodded towards the bike and handed Katie his helmet. “I don’t have a spare, so,” he shrugged and went to go dig around in the saddlebags for something. “It’s still kind of hard to see without a helmet, though, so I grabbed these,” Sebastian explained, holding out a pair of lab goggles with the name “Maru” painted on the side in bright green nail polish.

“Wait, are you sure you’re going to be fine without it?” Katie held up the helmet, a bit of guilt gnawing at her. “I don’t want to like… y’know, take this if you actually need it.”

Sebastian shook his head. “I just need to be able to see. Besides, I didn’t think you’d been on a motorcycle before.”

“Oh. Yeah, I mean, I’ve always kind of wanted to try it out, but just never really had the chance,” Katie replied, running her fingers along the seam at the base of the helmet anxiously.  _ It’s dangerous,  _ her mom would always say.  _ What if something happens to you? Joja won’t give you that many sick days, you know. They’ll move on to whoever can fill your spot and that’ll be that. _

Katie shuddered. 

“Nervous?”

“A bit?” she answered honestly, wincing internally at the thought of her mother’s criticisms.

Sebastian nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer and patted the seat. “Come on. Can’t keep Mom waiting.”

Katie pulled the helmet over her head and climbed on the back of the motorcycle, balancing her duffel bag on her lap. Sebastian took the front and started the engine with a loud roar, causing Katie to jump forward and latch onto him as tight as she could with the duffel bag in between them. She immediately let go once she realized what she did, positive no sunburn was going to hide how much she was blushing.

“You’re, um, actually going to want to hold on,” Sebastian said, looking back over his shoulder once the engine had died down to a low rumble. “I won’t go too fast but you should still hang on just in case. If, y’know, it’s not, um-”

“Too awkward?”

“Yeah. That.”

“I, um,” Katie put her arms back around Sebastian’s waist, this time much more careful about where she put her hands. “I’ll just, y’know, um. Yeah. This.”

Sebastian nodded one last time before pushing the kickstand up with his heel and they took off down the road. Between the wind and the rumbling of the engine, Katie was sure there was no way to try to carry on a conversation. Which, she figured, was definitely a good thing. She couldn’t imagine any sort of comfortable conversation with her latched onto him like some kind of awkward spider monkey.

Instead, she decided to focus on the scenery to try to calm herself down or at least refocus on the whole moving thing. She still had no idea how much unpacking she’d need to do or if any furniture needed to be reassembled. Plus, it sounded like setting up internet was going to be a lot more work than Katie had first figured it would be. One of Sebastian’s emails had explained that the house had never actually been outfitted with a connection point and the only line capable of providing internet was the old phone line. Katie had shuddered at the thought of going back to dial-up. He did mention something about running a line out to the house, but that it could take a while. Katie made a mental note to ask about that after things settled down again.

Up ahead, Katie could see the tunnel into the valley Sebastian had mentioned when she called earlier. When she’d go to visit Grandpa Tony as a kid, he’d tell her to hold her breath the whole way through the tunnel and make a wish. If she didn’t hold her breath the entire time, her wish wouldn’t come true. But, if she could hold it the length of the tunnel, her wish would come true.

Just before they reached the tunnel, Katie took a deep gulp of air. She wished, more desperately than any other time when she’d passed through into the valley, that she’d be happy staying there in Grandpa Tony’s house and held her breath. The rumbling of the engine echoed in her ears like distant thunder and the dim lighting was almost disorienting enough to make her lose focus, but Katie was determined to see it through. She’d been able to do it before as a kid and she’d be able to do it now. Just a little bit further.

Just as she was starting to get a bit lightheaded, Katie caught sight of the end of the tunnel. Finally. Just a few more seconds. Almost there. The instant they were outside, she exhaled and took a gulp of that sweet, fresh valley air with a sense of triumph. Even if it meant nothing and Grandpa Tony had been wrong about it granting wishes, there was still that sense of pride that she could still do it.

Just a little after they left the tunnel, Sebastian slowed and turned off onto a dirt road next to a bus sign and an old coin-operated ticket dispenser. They were close; Katie could see the roof of the house already. They took the next right and pulled up next to an old wooden bin. Outside, Katie could see an older man and a woman with bright orange hair pulled back into a ponytail waving from the front porch. She didn’t dare let go to wave back until Sebastian killed the engine and put the kickstand up.

“Katie! What happened? I thought you were taking the bus? Pam left for the desert hours ago!” the woman called, racing down the stairs with an almost motherly concern.

Katie winced and peeled off the helmet, brushing away the strands that’d come loose from her bun.

“I did take the bus, but it broke down on the way here,” she explained, dropping her duffel bag down onto the ground as she climbed off the motorcycle. “Pam’s still there waiting to be picked up. I didn’t have anyone’s phone number saved other than Sebastian’s, so,” she shrugged.

“Well, I’m glad you made it here in one piece! I know that’s not the safest ride into town.”

“I made sure to give her my helmet, mom,” Sebastian pointed out with an exasperated sigh. “Everything’s fine. See?”

“Oh yeah? So those goggles would’ve been good enough if you got in a wreck on the way here?” his mom asked pointedly. Sebastian shrugged. “Well, in any case, I won’t have you put yourself in danger getting Pam into town, too. I’ll take the truck and you can help Katie with settling in, okay?”

Sebastian looked like he wanted to argue, but just nodded sullenly. 

“I shouldn’t have too much trouble unpacking by myself,” Katie insisted, trying to find some way to let him off the hook. “It’s not like I had a whole lot of stuff sent out here to begin with.”

“It’s no big deal,” Sebastian said with a shrug and a look that seemed to say not to bother arguing. He pushed the kickstand back with his heel and walked the bike around to the back of the house.

“There you go, then,” his mom said as if that settled matters. “By the way, Katie, I’m Robin, Sebastian’s mother. You probably already figured that out by now,” she added with a light laugh. “I really am glad you’re here. This old farm used to be important to a lot of folks in town and I know Lewis isn’t the only one glad it’ll be back up and running soon.”

Mayor Lewis nodded from the porch, setting aside a broom and heading down the stairs. Katie vaguely remembered him from when she was smaller, though his hair hadn’t been nearly so gray back then. Grandpa Tony and Lewis would get together on Fridays at the Stardrop Saloon back in the day to unwind and hang out together. Katie remembered the few times she’d go along with Grandpa Tony, Lewis would always give her some extra change to go grab a soda and play some arcade games while the two talked.

“It’s good to see you again, Katie.” Lewis offered her his hand and Katie shuffled Sebastian’s helmet into her other hand awkwardly to take it. “This old house isn’t exactly what it used to be and the land needs some work, but we’re glad to have you here all the same.”

“Yeah, I’m, uh, glad to be here,” Katie replied, taking a closer look at her surroundings. There were massive tufts of grass growing everywhere and old logs blocking the way. There were even huge rocks that she didn’t remember ever being there that seemed to sprout up from the ground. If she didn’t know any better, she’d almost think someone had put them there on purpose. Katie clearly had her work cut out for her. “Man, this place really got out of hand, huh?”

“It certainly has grown wild,” Lewis agreed. “But, with time, I’m sure you’ll get things up and running again. It just needs some tending, that’s all.”

“Yeah, it’s just gonna take a lot of work clearing everything out.” Katie was not looking forward to that at all. Her muscles ached just thinking about it.

Robin smiled. “You’ll get some good stone and wood out of it, though.” She sighed dreamily. “Think of all the wonderful things you could build with that. I could do so much with all that wood.”

Lewis cleared his throat, clearly not as excited by the potential carpentry projects as Robin. “Well, in any case, you just let me know if you need anything. You remember how the bin works, right?”

“Yeah, Grandpa Tony used to have me help him load it up at the end of the day. Is the preservation rune still good?”

Lewis nodded. “Just had Clint double check it. It should hold up for at least another ten years.”

“Awesome. Well, I need to unpack and get settled in,” Katie said, noticing Sebastian had taken to leaning up against the porch railing rather than joining in on the conversation. The sooner she could get Lewis and Robin on their way, the sooner she could tell him he could just book it, too and they’d both get a chance to relax. “I really appreciate everything you guys did to get this place back to being livable.”

“Well, I don’t know if I’d say it’s livable, but,” Robin teased. “You know, if you ever need anything, I can make some nice upgrades to the house. There’s a lot of land here to work with, so I could do just about anything if you really wanted.”

Lewis shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with this house the way it is, Robin. You’re just trying to get a little extra business.”

“Hey, just getting ahead of the others. You know everyone’s going to be excited to have someone new in town.”

Sebastian snorted.

“Right, everyone except my extremely antisocial son.” Robin rolled her eyes and turned back to Katie. “Anyway, you’re right. You need to unpack and I need to go get Pam. By the way, you’re welcome to join my family for dinner tonight. It’s been a long day and I’m sure you don’t want to deal with grocery shopping after all this.”

“Oh. Um, I mean, only if you’re sure it’s okay. I don’t want to impose,” Katie answered, fidgeting with her backpack strap. Robin just laughed.

“Of course it’s not imposing! I wouldn’t have offered if it was. Besides, Maru and Demetrius would love to meet you, too, I’m sure.” She turned back towards Sebastian. “Sebby, Katie’s having dinner with us. The usual time, okay? Try not to be late.”

Sebastian nodded, though it was clear he wasn’t nearly as excited as his mom. With that, Robin and the mayor both said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Robin had parked the truck up by the mountain path and the mayor headed back into town, leaving Katie and Sebastian alone together again.

“Look, um, you don’t have to actually stay if you don’t want to,” Katie said once the two were out of earshot. “I mean, it sounded like you were kind of busy when I called earlier, so..”

Sebastian nodded. “I have some deadlines coming up,” he admitted, “but I’d never hear the end of it if I went straight back home. She’d know if I just took off. Moms.” Sebastian shrugged.

“Oh. Well, uh,” Katie frowned, trying to figure out some way she could make things work. There had to be some way she could make this less sucky for him, especially since he had work to do. “Okay, tell you what. I’ll just get like… the necessities unpacked and put away real quick. Y’know, clothes and all that.” She nodded towards her duffel bag. “Shouldn’t take too long since this is basically it. Then you can get back to work and I’ll be able to back you up if she asks.”

Sebastian seemed to consider the idea for a moment before nodding. “She’ll probably believe it if it’s coming from you,” he agreed. “Plus, I actually have internet up there.”

“Sweet. Okay, just hang tight for, like, ten minutes and I’ll be good to go.” Katie rushed up the stairs, through the door, and found the house looked suspiciously like a studio apartment. It had always been a bit small, but Katie figured there had to have been some parts that were just unsalvageable to make it shrink down that much.

Unlike the last time she was there, the fridge was barely bigger than a mini fridge, the stove had shrunk down to a tiny electric countertop range, the bathroom had a stall-sized shower instead of the big tub she remembered from when she was little, and the fireplace in the back corner seemed smaller, too. The washer and dryer had been moved out on the back porch, something Katie was already starting to lament as she thought about what the cold early spring mornings had in store for her. She was definitely going to have a chat with Robin at some point about at least adding on a laundry room or something to keep the cold out when she finally needed to wash her clothes.

Unpacking, as it turned out, was going to be pretty easy, too. All the furniture had been assembled and even her desktop was out on the desk. Not plugged in, of course, but it wasn’t like the movers were going to do  _ everything _ for her. Katie dumped the contents of her bags on the bed and immediately started shoving clothes into her dresser, not even bothering to fold them up. It wouldn’t matter much anyway since she’d be spending at least a week trying to clean up the farm and make some space to actually grow something. Anyone who’d end up seeing her would just have to understand that farming was dirty work.

By the time she finished, the house looked almost hospitable. Katie, however, felt about as uncomfortable as could be. The sweat from the desert had long since dried and her arms were starting to feel sticky and gross. She stepped back outside to find Sebastian leaning on the porch in the same spot, a thin trail of smoke rising up into the sky from his mouth.

“Hey, uh, do you think we have time for me to take a quick shower?” she asked hesitantly. “I’m still all gross from the desert and I don’t want to-”

“Go for it,” he said, cutting her off before she could start rambling again. “It’s not that big of a rush.”

“Okay. I just didn’t want to keep you waiting and-”

Sebastian looked her in the eyes and Katie stopped mid-sentence.

“Right. Shower. Okay, I’ll be quick.”

Katie dashed back inside and, about fifteen minutes later, came out lobster red, hair pulled back into a wet bun, but clean and significantly less uncomfortable. She’d changed into another pair of jeans and a plain olive green shirt with a long floral print jacket and a small bag with her tablet, phone, and chargers inside. Katie wasn’t planning on looking the part of a farmer until she had to. Besides, she figured dinner was kind of one of those occasions where she’d want to look a little bit nice.

“Ready?” she asked and Sebastian nodded, tossing her the helmet as she headed down the stairs. She was just about to pull it over her head when her phone rang loudly. Before she even saw the caller ID, Katie knew it had to be one of two people. Either it was Ameena calling to check in and make sure everything was going well or her mom to nag about making good choices. Katie pulled the phone out of her bag and groaned before answering.

“Hi, mom,” she answered in a cheerful voice. “What’s up?”

“Katie.” Her mom’s voice was dangerously calm. “I called you at work today. I thought, you’ve been having a rough time lately and maybe you’d like to to meet up for lunch later at that one place downtown. Do you know what your supervisor said when I called?”

“Um,” Katie hesitated, knowing full well she’d been busted. “Look, mom, I can explain.”

“I just want to know why you didn’t think you could trust me enough to tell me what you decided,” she said, voice cracking a bit and Katie could tell the conversation was going to go south fast. She always did this whenever someone did something she didn’t like; she’d start crying and insisting that she wasn’t mad, just hurt and confused, even when Katie had explained several times that she never made it comfortable to talk to her about anything. “I’m your  _ mother, _ Katie. I might not always agree with you, but I always have your best interest at heart. I’d never force you to do something you don’t want. You know that.”

“I know,” Katie said weakly, ambling pack towards the porch to sit on the steps. At that point, there was nothing she could do but wait it out.

“So why didn’t you just call me? Call your dad? We aren’t that far from the city, you know. We would’ve come down to visit, figure something out.”

Katie just sighed. “I don’t know,” she lied. Katie knew  _ exactly _ why she didn’t call either of them. “I just… I really needed a change, mom. The city just wasn’t doing it for me.”

“Katie, you can’t just waste all those years of schooling on, on,” her mom stammered, “digging in the dirt like some toddler. You worked  _ hard _ for that degree. You had a good future ahead of you.”

“I know.”

“I loved my dad as much as anyone else, but it’s just unreasonable to… to drop everything to chase  _ his _ dream, Katie. It’s just not healthy!”

She rattled on like that for a good twenty minutes while Katie just sat on the porch and let her go at it, occasionally shooting apologetic glances over at Sebastian. To his credit, he merely shrugged and lit another cigarette while he waited, seemingly used to hangups like this. Katie made a mental note to try to come up with some way to make it up to him later. She’d tried so hard to get him back early so he could get some work done and, of course, that blew up in her face.

By the time her mom had calmed down enough to let her off the phone, Katie was exhausted. A part of her really wanted to just tell Sebastian to go on without her and she’d explain to Robin later that something had come up. The other part was ridiculously hungry and not at all up for the long trek into town to deal with a bunch of people just to get some food. She dropped her phone back into her bag with a weary sigh and headed back over to where Sebastian was waiting.

“Everything okay?” he asked quietly, putting out his cigarette on the ground.

For just a second, Katie considered telling him exactly all the ways things were  _ not _ okay, but quickly decided against it. It would just wear her out even more to rehash it and, besides, she reminded herself, he was still basically a stranger. It wouldn’t be fair to unload everything like that.

“Yeah, I’m good. Sorry about that.” Katie slipped on the helmet and tried to ignore the concern on Sebastian’s face as she climbed onto the back of the motorcycle. He didn’t say a word, though, just started the bike up and headed out towards the same path Robin had taken with the truck. The whole ride up the mountain, Katie found herself oddly soothed by the smell of cigarette smoke still clinging to Sebastian’s jacket. She’d never been a fan of smoking or smokers, but the smell was so overwhelming it was all she could focus on and, before long, the overwhelming stress of her mom’s phone call had started to fade. She was still exhausted, but it felt almost like a distant memory, like how going to the gym in the morning left her tired the rest of the day at work.

Eventually Katie caught sight of the house and gasped softly. The sun had just started to set on the lake and warm orange-hued light reflected off nearly everything and cast long, dark shadows across the ground. Sunsets in the city never had that kind of effect; the street light kicked in early enough to shorten the shadows and drown out the sunlight. This, Katie thought, was far more serene. If it was this peaceful up on the mountain, Katie was sure she’d be in for something special back on the farm.

She’d been so busy admiring the scenery, though, that she barely noticed when they came to a stop in front of a large house built into the side of the mountain. Sebastian had to tap her on the shoulder a few times before she finally noticed they had arrived. Katie peeled the helmet off and gave him an apologetic grin.

“Sorry, this place is just,” she paused, trying to think of the right word, “it’s amazing. Like, it’s just so quiet and, I dunno, peaceful?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Sebastian shrugged. “It’s definitely quiet… most of the time.”

Katie tilted her head to the side in confusion, but Sebastian didn’t seem like he wanted to explain. Instead, he motioned for Katie to follow him in through the front door. She left the helmet on the seat and headed inside, marveling at the woodwork inside. It reminded her of those old country-themed sporting goods stores except this was the real deal. Everything from the floors to the ceiling were solid wood, sanded and stained to give it a smooth but rustic charm. Instead of lingering, though, Sebastian just kept leading her through into a long hallway and turned right and down a flight of stairs.

“This is, uh, my room,” he explained as he opened the door, revealing a tidy, spacious room. There was a table in the corner with a tabletop RPG map setup and a few figures set off to the side, which normally would’ve caught Katie’s interest except the couch up against the wall was all but calling her name. She made a beeline for it and plopped down with a relieved sigh.

“Yoba, it feels so good to just sit down,” she mumbled, closing her eyes and leaning back. “Please don’t make me get up again for at least another week.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows raised, but he decided not to comment. Instead, he just trudged over to his computer and booted it up to try to get some work done. As long as Katie was reasonably quiet, he’d be able to make some sort of progress before dinner. At this point, it was all he could really hope for.

As soon as he fell into a routine, dragging resources into the right folders and compressing them down to put into the sharebox for his client, Sebastian started to wonder about that phone call Katie got earlier. It wasn’t his business and there was no way he was going to ask again, but some small part of him wondered if that was why she’d decided to leave the city. He couldn’t imagine it was anything to do with the city itself; sure, it wasn’t a good fit for everyone, but Katie didn’t seem like the type to be overwhelmed by technology. It had to be someone making things uncomfortable.

Sebastian leaned to the side to peer over at Katie and make sure she was doing okay. He hadn’t heard anything from her in nearly an hour and she hadn’t even asked for the wifi password. To his surprise, she was out cold, passed out on the couch with her mouth wide open in a quiet snore. Sebastian had to stifle a laugh at the sight; he never in a million years expected some stranger to end up passed out on his couch, let alone some girl from the city his mom coerced into having dinner with the family on her first day in town.

Just as Sebastian was starting to settle back into his seat to get back to work, there was a loud knock at the door. Katie sat bolt upright at the noise, her hair sticking up out of her bun awkwardly and her clothes all wrinkled from sleep.

“What time is it?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes drowsily.

“Almost seven,” Sebastian answered, sliding his keyboard back under the desk.

“Shit. Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Katie apologized as she stood and stretched. “Please tell me I didn’t snore.”

Sebastian shrugged with a slight smirk. “Not loud enough to be a bother.”

“That’s not helping,” she groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Okay, fine, at least tell me I didn’t sleep through dinner or something.”

“Okay. You didn’t.” He nodded towards the door. “That’s what the knock was. Maru doesn’t like coming into my room.”

“Oh. Is Maru your..?”

“Half sister,” he answered shortly, emphasizing the word  _ half. _ Katie raised an eyebrow, but decided against asking. That was definitely not a topic to bring up before a family dinner, especially since it seemed to irritate Sebastian that much.

Another knock came from the door followed by a quiet, “Dinner’s ready. Mom and Dad sent me to come get you.”

“Okay.”

There was a pause before Katie heard a set of footsteps head back up the stairs, as if Maru had wanted to say something but hadn’t. For the most part, Sebastian didn’t seem too bothered by it, but Katie was starting to wonder just what kind of family dinner she’d signed up for.


End file.
